JP5940512B2 - Imposition apparatus, method and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imposition apparatus, method, and program for setting a page box for specifying a page boundary for each page area.

Recently, in the field of printing plate making, CTP (Computer To Plate) that forms a printing plate directly from electronic data without generating an intermediate product has become widespread. Therefore, there is an increasing number of cases where a designer creates content using an information processing terminal and then provides it as electronic data to a printing company. For example, PDF (Portable Document Format ) version 1.3, which is a type of page description data, defines five types of “page boxes” that are parameters that define page boundaries in order to support the prepress production workflow. An operator belonging to a printing company can use this “page box” when performing an electronic imposition work.

PDF Reference 2nd Edition, Adobe Portable Document Format Version 1.3, November 20, 2008, first edition 5th edition, author; Adobe Systems, publisher; Pearson Education, ISBN 4-89471-338-1, 452- See page 454

  By the way, the page box is a kind of independent parameter different from the content (drawing form) arranged in the page area. For this reason, when an unknown designer submits a document without setting a page box, a setting value suitable for printing is not input when the page box cannot be set depending on the operating environment of the information processing terminal. In this case, the worker who received the electronic data needed to correct the set value of the page box each time, and was not bothered.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide an imposition apparatus, method, and program capable of automatically and accurately setting a page box.

An imposition apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus for setting a page box for specifying a page boundary for each page area, and the horizontal or vertical direction of the page area as a specific line component from the page area. A line component extraction unit that extracts a plurality of line components extending along the line , and the two specific line components that are included in the positioning mark from among the specific line components extracted by the line component extraction unit a first end points or linear and linear components pair determination unit angle is at least one pair determines the pair of positional relationship near Ru linear component of 45 degrees with the horizontal direction connecting the second end points constituting the above A marking position estimation unit that estimates a marking position of the positioning mark based on the shape of each pair of line components determined by the line component pair determination unit, and the marking position estimated by the marking position estimation unit. As the position information of the serial page box, and a box position acquisition unit that acquires in association with the page area.

  In this way, at least one line component pair included in the positioning mark is determined based on the positional relationship between each specific line component, and the position of the positioning mark is estimated based on the shape of each line component pair. It is configured to do. Generally speaking, the positioning mark has a form including a pair of line components, and exhibits a function of indicating a two-dimensional position by these end points, intersections, and the like. By using this geometric feature, even if the positioning mark forms are different, the marking position can be detected with high accuracy, and the page box can be set automatically and with high accuracy.

Moreover, it is preferable that the said line component pair determination part determines as said line component pair, when the distance between two said 1st end points or two said 2nd end points is less than a threshold value.

  The line component pair determination unit preferably determines the pair of line components in which the two specific line components are parallel to each other. Alternatively, the line component pair determination unit preferably determines the pair of line components in which the two specific line components are perpendicular to each other.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the box position acquisition unit acquires the position information of the page box that specifies a bleed area and / or a finished area.

An imposition method according to the present invention is a method of setting a page box for specifying a page boundary for each page area, and the horizontal or vertical direction of the page area as a specific line component from the page area. an extraction step of a plurality extract line components extending along the, from between each said particular line component extracted, contained in the positioning mark, and the first end point to configure two of the particular line component a determining step of the angle between the straight line and the horizontal direction connecting to each other or second end points is at least one pair determine the 45 degree position relationship near Ru linear component of the pair was determined for each pair of the line components An estimation step for estimating the marking position of the positioning mark based on the shape, and obtaining the estimated marking position in association with the page area as position information of the page box To perform the steps on your computer.

An imposition program according to the present invention is a program for setting a page box for specifying a page boundary for each page area, and as a specific line component from the page area, An extraction step for extracting a plurality of line components extending along the vertical direction , and a first end point included in the positioning mark and constituting the two specific line components from the extracted specific line components a determining step of the angle between the straight line and the horizontal direction connecting to each other or second end points is at least one pair determine the 45 degree position relationship near Ru linear component of the pair was determined for each pair of the line components An estimation step for estimating the position of the positioning mark based on the shape, and the estimated position is associated with the page area as position information of the page box. To execute the steps of acquiring the computer.

  According to the imposition apparatus, method, and program according to the present invention, at least one line component pair included in the positioning mark is determined based on the positional relationship between each specific line component, and each line component pair is determined. The position of the marking mark is estimated based on the shape. Generally speaking, the positioning mark has a form including a pair of line components, and exhibits a function of indicating a two-dimensional position by these end points, intersections, and the like. By utilizing this geometric feature, even when the positioning mark forms are different, the marking position can be detected with high accuracy, and the page box can be set automatically and with high accuracy.

It is a whole lineblock diagram of a printed matter production system incorporating an imposition device concerning this embodiment. It is an electrical block diagram of the imposition apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart with which operation | movement description of the imposition apparatus shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2 is provided. FIG. 4A is a schematic front view in which a page area represented by content data is visualized. FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between frames or lines that specify each boundary in the page area of FIG. 4A. It is a 1st image figure showing the setting screen of a page box. It is a 2nd image figure showing the setting screen of a page box. 7A to 7D are enlarged plan views of typical positioning marks. It is a detailed flowchart regarding the method of acquiring the positional information on a page box. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a result of extracting a specific line component from the page area shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram illustrating coordinates of a first end point and a second end point that specify each specific line component. FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram illustrating a result of exclusion according to a predetermined rule. It is a schematic explanatory drawing regarding the calculation method of the intercept in the straight line which passes through one end point. It is a schematic diagram of the 1st intercept and the 2nd intercept obtained using the calculation method of FIG. FIG. 13A is a schematic explanatory diagram illustrating a method of determining a pair of line components included in a corner registration mark at the lower left corner of the page area. FIG. 13B is a schematic explanatory diagram regarding a method for determining a pair of line components included in a corner register mark at the upper right corner of the page area. FIG. 14A and FIG. 14B are schematic explanatory diagrams relating to a method for estimating a marking position based on the shape of a pair of line components.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an imposition method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings by giving preferred embodiments in relation to an imposition apparatus and an imposition program for executing the imposition method.

[Overall Configuration of Printed Product Production System 10]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a printed product production system 10 incorporating an imposition apparatus 20 according to this embodiment.

  In the printed product production system 10, a router 14 that is a device that relays connection to the network 12, a server device 16 that can be accessed from each terminal device (not shown) belonging to the external network via the network 12, a server device 16 and the like A DTP terminal 18 for performing DTP (Desktop Publishing) processing including editing of data acquired from the data, an imposition device 20 for imposing the content data processed by the DTP terminal 18, and imposition by the imposition device 20 The RIP device 22 that executes image processing such as rasterization processing and color conversion processing based on the output data that has been output, and the proofer 26 that can print the proof 24 based on the calibration data transmitted from the RIP device 22 And a plate set for producing the printing plate 28 based on the plate-making data transmitted from the RIP device 22. A motor 30, an offset printing press 34 can form a printed material 32 by mounting a plate 28, are provided.

  The server device 16 is a device that forms the core of workflow management in the printed material production system 10. The server device 16 is communicably connected to each terminal device included in a designer and / or a production company (both not shown) via the router 14 and the network 12. The server device 16 is communicably connected to the DTP terminal 18, the imposition device 20, and the RIP device 22 via a LAN (Local Area Network) 36 constructed in the printed product production system 10.

  That is, the server device 16 functions as a file server that manages storage and transfer of various data files, functions as an authority management server that manages task authority executable in each terminal device, each user, or each print job, or The function as a mail server that generates and distributes a notification mail at a predetermined timing such as the start / end of each process is configured to be executable.

  Various data files that can be managed as a file server include, for example, content data, printing data (for example, plate-making data, printing plate data, or calibration data), job tickets {for example, JDF (Job Definition Format ) File}, ICC (International Color Consortium) profile, color sample data, and the like.

  The DTP terminal 18 performs preflight processing on content data composed of characters, figures, patterns, photographs, and the like, and then creates page-unit image data. The imposition apparatus 20 performs imposition processing according to the designated binding method or paper folding method while referring to the tag information of the job ticket.

  The RIP device 22 functions as a print processing server for at least one type of printing machine. In the example of FIG. 1, the RIP device 22 is communicably connected to a calibrator 26 and a platesetter 30. In this case, the RIP device 22 converts data in PDL format (hereinafter also referred to as page description data) described in a page description language into output data suitable for each output device, and the output data is converted into a calibrator 26. Alternatively, it is supplied to the plate setter 30.

  Based on the calibration data supplied from the RIP device 22, the calibration machine 26 outputs the proof 24 in which an image is formed on the calibration paper 38 (print medium). As the calibrator 26, a DDCP (Direct Digital Color Proofing), an inkjet color proofer, a low resolution color laser printer (electrophotographic system), an inkjet printer, or the like may be used.

  The offset printing machine 34 attaches ink to one side or both sides of the printing paper 40 (printing medium) via the printing plate 28 and an intermediate transfer member (not shown), and thus the printed matter 32 on which the image is formed on the printing paper 40. Is output. Instead of the offset printer 34, a digital printer for direct printing may be provided. As the digital printer, an inkjet printer, a wide format printer, an inkjet color proofer, a color laser printer, or the like may be used.

[Electrical Block Diagram of Imposition Device 20]
FIG. 2 is an electrical block diagram of the imposition apparatus 20 shown in FIG. The imposition apparatus 20 is basically a computer that includes a control unit 50, a communication I / F 52, a display control unit 54, a display unit 56, an input unit 58, and a memory 60 (storage medium). .

  The communication I / F 52 is an interface (I / F) that transmits and receives electrical signals from an external device. Thereby, the imposition apparatus 20 can acquire various data (for example, content data 62) from the server apparatus 16 (FIG. 1), and can supply various data (for example, imposition data 64) to the server apparatus 16. is there.

  The display control unit 54 is a control circuit that drives and controls the display unit 56 according to the control of the control unit 50. The display control unit 54 drives the display unit 56 by outputting a display control signal to the display unit 56 via an I / F (not shown). Thereby, the display unit 56 can display various images including the window W (FIGS. 5 and 6).

  The memory 60 stores a program and data necessary for the control unit 50 to control each component. In the illustrated example, content data 62 in PDF format and imposition data 64 in JDF format are stored.

  The memory 60 may be configured of a non-transitory and computer-readable storage medium. Here, the computer-readable storage medium is a portable medium such as a magneto-optical disk, ROM, CD-ROM, or flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk built in the computer system. In addition, this storage medium may hold a program dynamically in a short time or may hold a program for a certain period of time.

  The control unit 50 is configured by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 50 can implement the functions of the imposition processing unit 66, the display data creation unit 68, and the rasterization processing unit 70 by reading and executing the program stored in the memory 60.

  The imposition processing unit 66 creates imposition data 64 including setting values of a page box, which will be described later, based on the content data 62 acquired in advance. Specifically, the imposition processing unit 66 sequentially updates the preview image 122 (FIG. 5 and the like) and the specific line component 172 (FIG. 11) from the page area 100 (FIG. 4A and the like). Line component extraction unit 74 to extract, line component pair determination unit 76 to determine a line component pair 180 (FIG. 14A, etc.), marking positions 166 and 168 (FIG. 7A to FIG. 7D) of marking marks 161 to 164 (FIG. 7). And a box position acquisition unit 80 that acquires a set value of the page box according to the positions of the frame images 150 and 152 (FIG. 6).

  The display data creation unit 68 includes a screen creation unit 82 that creates a setting screen 120 (FIG. 5 and the like) and an image creation unit 84 that creates a preview image 122 (same figure).

  The rasterization processing unit 70 performs rasterization processing on the page description data that has been impositioned. This rasterization processing includes data format conversion processing for converting from the PDL format to the raster format, and color matching processing using an ICC profile.

  The input unit 58 includes various input devices such as a mouse, a trackball, a keyboard, and a touch sensor. A user interface is realized by combining the display function by the display unit 56 and the input function by the input unit 58. In this case, the input unit 58 serves as an image change instruction unit 86 that instructs to change the relative position and size of the frame image 130 and the like and to stop the change, and a display form instruction unit 88 that instructs the display form of the preview image 122. Function.

[Operation of Imposition Device 20]
The imposition apparatus 20 according to this embodiment is configured as described above. Next, the operation of the imposition apparatus 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described in detail with reference mainly to the flowchart of FIG. First, “page box”, which is a term necessary for understanding the present invention, is defined.

  The PDF is configured so that a page box can be set to support the prepress production workflow. Here, the “page box” is a parameter that defines a page boundary, and five types of media box, bleed box, crop box, trim box, and art box are prepared.

  Note that “MediaBox” (media size) defines the maximum area that can be output on the physical medium that is the printing destination of the page. Also, “BleedBox” (bleed size) defines an area where the contents of the page will be clipped when output in the production environment. “CropBox” (trimming size) defines an area to be clipped when the contents of a page are output. “TrimBox” (finished size) defines an intended dimension on the completed page after trimming. “ArtBox” (art size) defines a range of meaningful contents in the page intended by the creator.

  The designer who is the creator of the content data 62 inputs each value of the “page box” suitable for the image layout in advance when submitting the electronic data. For example, when this input is not performed, a default value is usually set. Therefore, the operator needs to check whether or not a correct value is set in the page box, and correct the set value as necessary. Therefore, in this embodiment, a function for automatically adjusting the setting value of the page box according to the operation of the operator as the user is provided.

  In step S1 of FIG. 3, the imposition processing unit 66 reads out and acquires the content data 62 to be impositioned from the memory 60 or the like.

  FIG. 4A is a schematic front view in which the page area 100 represented by the content data 62 is visualized. On the rectangular page region 100, a content image 102 showing a perspective view of the electronic device, four corner registration marks 104a to 104d, and four central registration marks 106a to 106d are arranged.

  FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between frames or lines that specify each boundary in the page region 100 of FIG. 4A. Reference frames 110 and 112 and reference lines 114 and 116 exist in the outer page frame 108 that is the boundary of the entire page area 100. The reference frame 110 is a rectangular frame that connects one point (intersection of two L-shaped marks) indicated by the double square registration marks 104a to 104d. The reference frame 112 is a rectangular frame that connects another point (the apex of the circumscribed rectangle and the apex side of the L shape) indicated by the double corner registration marks 104a to 104d. The reference line 114 is a straight line extending in the vertical direction connecting the center of gravity positions of the central registration marks 106a and 106b. The reference line 116 is a straight line extending in the lateral direction connecting the center of gravity positions of the central registration marks 106c and 106d.

  In step S2, the image creation unit 84 creates a preview image 122 (see FIG. 5 and the like) based on the content data 62 acquired in step S1. A specific form of the preview image 122 will be described later.

  In step S3, the imposition apparatus 20 displays a setting screen 120 that is used for setting a page box. In response to an instruction to start setting, the screen creation unit 82 creates display data for the setting screen 120 (including the preview image 122), and then supplies the display data to the display control unit 54. Then, the display control unit 54 causes the display unit 56 to display the window W (including the setting screen 120).

  As shown in FIG. 5, on the setting screen 120, a preview image 122, a setting field 124, and a button group 126 written as “Close” and “Save” are arranged. The operator can make various settings via the preview image 122 or the setting field 124 while operating the input unit 58 (FIG. 2).

  The preview image 122 is an image in which a frame image 130 indicating the position of the page box on the page image 128 is superimposed on the page image 128 arranged in the page area 100 (FIG. 4A). The frame image 130 is displayed in a different display form for each type of page box at a position corresponding to each set value. In this example, since all the setting values of the page box are the same, one frame image 130 is substantially written. On the preview image 122, a center line 132 along the vertical direction and a center line 134 along the horizontal direction are further displayed. Two center lines 132 and 134 indicated by broken lines intersect at the center position of the frame image 130.

  Above the preview image 122, an icon group 135 composed of a plurality of tool icons is arranged. The icon group 135 functions as a display form instruction unit 88 (FIG. 2) that instructs the display form of the preview image 122. That is, various display forms including rotation, movement, inversion, enlargement / reduction of the preview image 122 can be realized in accordance with an operation via the icon group 135.

  The setting column 124 includes a page box list 136, a button 138 labeled “automatic setting”, two pull-down menus 140 and 142, one text box group 144, one column 146, and a pull-down menu 148. Has been.

  From the left side to the right side, the list 136 includes “name” of the page box, “left” corresponding to the minimum value of the horizontal (X axis) coordinate, and “bottom” corresponding to the minimum value of the vertical (Y axis) coordinate. "," Right "corresponding to the maximum value of the left-right direction (X-axis) coordinates, and" Up "corresponding to the maximum value of the vertical-direction (Y-axis) coordinates are described. For example, by unifying the display colors of the frame image 130 and the list 136 for each type of page box, the operator can grasp at a glance the current position and setting value of the page box.

  The pull-down menu 140 is a control for alternatively setting the type of page box (“media box” in this example) serving as a reference for the center lines 132 and 134. The pull-down menu 142 is a control for setting the size of the media box (“Kiku” in this example).

  The text box group 144 is a control for setting the position of the page box. The operator can input text values (unit: mm) of “left”, “lower”, “right”, and “upper” defined in the same manner as the list 136 via the text box group 144. The input value of the text box group 144 is linked to the position of the frame image 130, and the other is changed following the change of one.

  The column 146 displays the width and height (unit: mm) of the page box. That is, the display value of the width (668.98) is calculated by “right (668.98)” − “left (0.00)”, and the display value of the height (915.59) is “up (915). .59) "-" lower (0.00) ".

  Note that a selection frame 149 is attached to one of the five rows represented by the list 136. The type surrounded by the selection frame 149, that is, the “finished size” setting is valid. That is, the current set value of “finished size” is displayed in the text box group 144 and the column 146. Further, the positions of the center lines 132 and 134 are determined based on the set values.

  In step S4, the operator determines whether or not the position adjustment of the page box is necessary while visually recognizing the preview image 122 of FIG. In the example of FIG. 5, since the setting value of the page box is not an appropriate setting value, it is determined that position adjustment is necessary (step S4: YES), and the process proceeds to the next step (S5).

  In step S5, the imposition processing unit 66 determines whether or not there has been a click operation of the [automatic setting] button 138 on the setting screen 120 of FIG. When it is determined that there is no operation, the normal process operation is executed (step S6), and then the process returns to step S4. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is an operation, the process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S <b> 7, the imposition processing unit 66 analyzes the content data 62 acquired in step S <b> 1 to calculate position information of a specific type of page box. This calculation method will be described later.

  In step S8, the imposition apparatus 20 updates the preview image 122 according to the position information calculated in step S7. Here, the image update unit 72 acquires the position information of the page box and supplies the position information to the image creation unit 84 to instruct the update of the preview image 122. Thereafter, the image creating unit 84 creates a new preview image 122 showing a form in which the frame image 130 is moved or deformed based on the supplied position information. As a result, the imposition apparatus 20 displays the frame image 150 or the like following the change in position and / or size.

  FIG. 6 is a second image diagram showing the page box setting screen 120. This setting screen 120 is different from the screen of FIG. 5 in that a frame image 150 indicating “finished size” and a frame image 152 indicating “bleed size” are adjusted. As a result of the adjustment of the position and / or size of the frame images 150 and 152, the values shown in the list 136 (particularly the values in the selection frame 149), the text box group 144, and the column 146 are changed. Yes.

  The pull-down menu 148 is a control for selecting which page area (including the page area 100) the current setting value is set to. For example, any one of “all”, “odd”, “even”, or “range designation” (including only the corresponding page) can be selected.

  After step S6 or step S8 is executed, the process returns to step S4, and the page box position adjustment is continued as necessary in steps S4 to S8. The adjustment process is not limited to the form of automatic adjustment as described above, and it is needless to say that, for example, a technique of adjusting through manual operation by an operator can be adopted. If it is determined in step S4 that the position adjustment of the page box is not necessary (step S4: NO), the process proceeds to step S9.

  In step S9, the imposition processing unit 66 creates the imposition data 64 by updating the set value of the page box. Prior to creation, the box position acquisition unit 80 acquires the position information of the page box set on the setting screen 120 in association with the page area 100. For example, when there are a plurality of page areas, they may be acquired in association with at least one page area that is not the display target of the preview image 122.

  Then, the imposition processing unit 66 creates imposition data 64 including the position information acquired by the box position acquisition unit 80 and stores / saves it in the memory 60. The imposition device 20 may send the imposition data 64 to the outside via the communication I / F 52 so as to be stored in the server device 16 thereafter.

[Location information calculation processing]
Next, the calculation process of the position information of the page box (step S7 in FIG. 3) will be described with reference to FIGS. 7A to 13B.

  7A-7D are enlarged plan views of exemplary positioning marks 161-164. The positioning marks 161 (FIG. 7A), 162 (FIG. 7B), and 163 (FIG. 7C) are each composed of two vertical lines and two horizontal lines. On the other hand, the positioning mark 164 (FIG. 7D) is composed of one vertical line and one horizontal line.

  Each of the positioning marks 161 to 164 marks two positions surrounded by circles (hereinafter referred to as marking positions 166 and 168) based on the positional relationship between the two feature points 165A and 165B. The marking position 166 corresponds to one vertex that specifies the finished area, and the marking position 168 corresponds to one vertex that specifies the bleed area. As can be understood from FIGS. 7A to 7D, the feature points 165A and 165B are both in a line-symmetrical positional relationship with respect to the axis 170 connecting the marking positions 166 and 168. This is because the bleed width (also referred to as bleed width) is generally set to the same value in both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.

  By utilizing this geometric feature, even if the positioning marks 161 to 164 have different forms, the indication positions 166 and 168 can be detected with high accuracy. The operation of the imposition processing unit 66 that executes this calculation process will be described in detail below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S <b> 71, the line component extraction unit 74 extracts a plurality of specific line components 172 from the page region 100. The specific line component 172 means a line component having a specific color and extending along a specific direction. The line component extraction unit 74 extracts, for example, line components that are solid colors (monochrome with a gradation level of 100%) and extend in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a result of extracting a specific line component 172 from the page region 100 shown in FIG. 4A. As understood from this figure, in addition to the four corner registration marks 104a to 104d, each component constituting the four central registration marks 107a to 107d (part of the central registration marks 106a to 106d), that is, a specific line component 172 is extracted. Is done. The central registration mark 107a is composed of two specific line components 172 and 172, more specifically, one long horizontal line component and one short vertical line component.

  Thereafter, the line component extraction unit 74 acquires the coordinates (x, y) of the end points 174 and 176 in each specific line component 172, respectively. Hereinafter, the lower left corner of the page area 100 is defined as the origin O, the horizontal direction is defined as the X axis, and the vertical direction is defined as the Y axis.

  FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram illustrating the coordinates of the first end point and the second end point in each specific line component 172. Here, the first end point is an end point 174 closer to the origin O among the two end points 174 and 176. On the other hand, the second end point is an end point 176 farther from the origin O among the two end points 174 and 176.

  As shown in the figure, twelve “vertical line components” and twelve “horizontal line components” are extracted from the page area 100 (FIG. 4A). Note that it is not necessary to detect which register marks each specific line component 172 constitutes during this extraction process.

  In step S72 of FIG. 8, the line component pair determination unit 76 determines at least one line component pair 180 based on the positional relationship between the specific line components 172 extracted in step S71. The calculation processing by the line component pair determination unit 76 is classified into three steps: [1] exclusion of a single component, [2] calculation of an evaluation value, and [3] determination of a pair.

  [1] First, the line component pair determining unit 76 refers to the coordinates of the end points 174 and 176, and excludes only single components that cannot constitute the positioning marks 161 to 164 in advance. Specifically, the line component pair determination unit 76 generates a “vertical line component” in which no end point 174 matches the x coordinate and a “horizontal line component” in which no end point 174 matches the y coordinate. exclude. As a result, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 10B, two specific line components 172 and 172, that is, the vertical line component of the center registration mark 107c and the vertical line component of the center registration mark 107d are excluded. Similarly, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 10B, two specific line components 172 and 172, that is, the horizontal line component of the center registration mark 107a and the horizontal line component of the center registration mark 107b are excluded.

  [2] Next, the line component pair determination unit 76 makes a pair in which two end points are line-symmetric with respect to the axis 170 (line component pair 180) among the specific line components 172 that remain without being excluded. An evaluation value for determining is calculated. The axis 170 is an axis extending at an angle of 45 degrees from the horizontal direction (X axis) and the vertical direction (Y axis).

  As a method for discriminating line symmetry, various algorithms including an algebraic method and a geometric method can be adopted. As a geometric technique, for example, after a specific line component 172 is inverted with respect to the axis 170, the determination may be made based on whether or not there is a line component pair 180 where the positions of one end points overlap. Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the algebraic method will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13B. In general, the line component pair determination unit 76 determines that one end point (end point 174 or end point 176) of two specific line components 172 and 172 exists on a common straight line 178 orthogonal to the axis 170. It is determined that the line 170 is line symmetric. In other words, the line component pair determination unit 76 determines a line component pair 180 in which an angle formed by a straight line connecting one end points of two specific line components 172 and 172 and the X axis (or Y axis) is 45 degrees. To do.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a method of calculating the intercept b in the straight line 178 passing through one end point 174, 176. Here, the straight line 178 is a straight line that is orthogonal to the axis 170 whose slope on the XY coordinates is 1, and whose functional expression is given by y = −x + b (b is an arbitrary real number). Here, since the coordinates of each point (end points 174 and 176) through which the straight line 178 passes are known, the intercept b as an unknown can be uniquely obtained.

  FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the first slice and the second slice obtained using the calculation method of FIG. Here, the first intercept is an intercept b of a straight line 178 passing through the first end point (end point 174). On the other hand, the second intercept is an intercept b of a straight line 178 passing through the second end point (end point 176).

  [3] Next, the line component pair determination unit 76 determines the line component pair 180 from the calculated evaluation value (intercept b). This determination method will be described with reference to FIGS. 13A and 13B.

  FIG. 13A is a schematic explanatory diagram relating to a method for determining a line component pair 180 included in the corner registration mark 104d in the lower left corner of the page area 100. FIG. This figure corresponds to the result of rearranging the “vertical line component” data list shown in FIG. 12 in the “ascending order of the first intercept”.

  Specifically, the line component pair determining unit 76 (1) the intercept b is equal between the specific line components 172 and 172 or within the tolerance range (for example, 2 mm), and (2) the second end point The distance between each other (between the end points 176 and 176) is less than a threshold value (for example, 10 mm), and (3) two specific line components 172 and 172 whose intercept b is the minimum value are determined as a line component pair 180. To do.

  Then, the line component pair determination unit 76 sets a smaller x coordinate (outside of the page area 100) of the line component pairs 180 as a “bleed line 172b” and a larger x coordinate (of the page area 100). Inward) is identified as “finished line 172t”.

  That is, the coordinates of the first end point of the bleed line 172b are (28.34, 8.50), and the coordinates of the second end point are (28.34, 36.84). Further, the coordinates of the first end point of the finish line 172t are (36.85, 0), and the coordinates of the second end point are (36.85, 28.34).

FIG. 13B is a schematic explanatory diagram relating to a method of determining the line component pair 180 included in the corner register mark 104b in the upper right corner of the page area 100. This figure, for the data list of the "vertical component" shown in FIG. 12, corresponds to the result of rearranged in "ascending order of the second section."

  Specifically, the line component pair determining unit 76 (1) the intercept b is equal or within the tolerance range between the specific line components 172 and 172, and (2) the first end points (end points 174, 174, 174) is less than a threshold (for example, 10 mm), and (3) two specific line components 172 and 172 whose intercept b is the maximum value are determined as a line component pair 180.

  Then, the line component pair determination unit 76 sets the larger x coordinate (outward of the page area 100) of the line component pairs 180 as the “bleed line 172b” and the smaller x coordinate (of the page area 100). Inward) is identified as “finished line 172t”.

  That is, the coordinates of the first end point of the tear-off line 172b are (640.63, 878.74), and the coordinates of the second end point are (640.63, 907.08). Further, the coordinates of the first end point of the finish line 172t are (632.12, 887.24), and the coordinates of the second end point are (632.12, 915.59).

  In this way, the line component pair determination unit 76 determines two line component pairs 180 and 180 included in the corner registration marks 104b and 104d, respectively, based on the positional relationship between the vertical line components. In addition to or separately from this, the line component pair determination unit 76 determines two line component pairs 180 and 180 respectively included in the corner registration marks 104b and 104d based on the positional relationship between the horizontal line components. To do.

  According to the above example, the line component pair determination unit 76 determines the line component pair 180 in which the two specific line components 172 and 172 are parallel to each other, but the present invention is not limited to this method. Specifically, the line component pair determination unit 76 may determine a line component pair 180 in which two specific line components 172 and 172 are perpendicular to each other. Thereby, the variation of the form which can be detected (for example, the positioning mark 164 of FIG. 7D) increases.

  In step S <b> 73 of FIG. 8, the marking position estimation unit 78 estimates the marking positions 166 and 168 of the positioning marks 161 to 164 based on the shape of the line component pair 180 determined in step S <b> 72.

  14A and 14B are schematic explanatory diagrams relating to a method for estimating the marking positions 166 and 168 based on the shape of the pair 180 of line components.

  FIG. 14A relates to an estimation method in a pair 180 of line components extending in the vertical direction. The line component pair 180 includes a bleed line 172b whose end point 176b has coordinates (x1, y1) and a finished line 172t whose end point 176t has coordinates (x2, y2). At this time, the coordinates of the marking position 166 are estimated as (x2, y1), and the coordinates of the marking position 168 are estimated as (x1, y2).

  FIG. 14B relates to an estimation method in a pair 180 of line components extending in the horizontal direction. The line component pair 180 includes a bleed line 172b whose end point 176b has coordinates (x2, y2) and a finished line 172t whose end point 176t has coordinates (x1, y1). At this time, the coordinates of the marking position 166 are estimated as (x2, y1), and the coordinates of the marking position 168 are estimated as (x1, y2).

  In this manner, the marking position estimation unit 78 estimates the marking positions 166 and 168 of the corner registration marks 104d at the two corners based on the shape of the line component pair 180, respectively.

  For the positioning mark 161 shown in FIG. 7A, the marking positions 166 and 168 can be estimated using either one of the line component pairs 180 shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B. In contrast, regarding the positioning marks 162 (FIG. 7B) and 163 (FIG. 7C), it should be noted that the marking positions 166 and 168 can be estimated by using both the line component pairs 180 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. In addition, regarding the positioning mark 164 (FIG. 7D), it should be noted that the marking positions 166 and 168 can be estimated by combining one vertical line component and one horizontal line component into a line component pair 180.

  In step S74 of FIG. 8, the box position acquisition unit 80 temporarily acquires position information of a specific type of page box based on the labeling positions 166 and 168 estimated in step S73. Specifically, the box position acquisition unit 80 sets four parameters (each value of “left”, “down”, “right”, and “upper”) that specify the “finished area” from two coordinates indicating the marking position 166. get. In addition to or separately from this, the box position acquisition unit 80 has four parameters (“left”, “down”, “right”, “upper”) that specify the “bleed area” from the two coordinates indicating the marking position 168. Each value).

  As described above, the imposition processing unit 66 automatically calculates the position information of the page box (see step S7 in FIG. 3).

[Effects of this embodiment]
The imposition apparatus 20 according to this embodiment is an apparatus that sets a page box for specifying a page boundary for each page area 100. The imposition device 20 is included in the positioning marks 161 to 164 based on the positional relationship between the line component extraction unit 74 that extracts a plurality of specific line components 172 from the page region 100 and each line component 172. A line component pair determining unit 76 that determines at least one line component pair 180; a marking position estimating unit 78 that estimates the marking positions 166 and 168 of the positioning marks 161 to 164 based on the shape of each line component pair 180; A box position acquisition unit 80 that acquires the label positions 166 and 168 in association with the page region 100 as page box position information is provided.

  In this manner, at least one line component pair 180 included in the positioning marks 161 to 164 is determined based on the positional relationship between each specific line component 172, and positioning is performed based on the shape of each line component pair 180. The marking positions 166 and 168 of the marks 161 to 164 are estimated. Generally speaking, the positioning marks 161 to 164 have a form including a line component pair 180 and exhibit a function of indicating a two-dimensional position by these end points, intersections, and the like. By using this geometric feature, even if the positioning marks 161 to 164 have different forms, the marking positions 166 and 168 can be detected with high accuracy, and the page box can be set automatically and with high accuracy.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, Of course, it can change freely in the range which does not deviate from the main point of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Printed material production system 16 ... Server apparatus 18 ... DTP terminal 20 ... Imposition apparatus 22 ... RIP apparatus 24 ... Proof 26 ... Calibration machine 28 ... Printing plate 32 ... Printed material 34 ... Offset printing machine 38 ... Calibration paper 40 ... Printing paper 50 ... Control unit 60 ... Memory 62 ... Content data 64 ... Imposition data 66 ... Imposition processing unit 72 ... Image update unit 74 ... Line component extraction unit 76 ... Line component pair determination unit 78 ... Signal position estimation unit 80 ... Box position acquisition Part 100 ... Page area 102 ... Content images 104a to 104d ... Square registration marks
106a to 106d, 107a to 107d ... center registration marks 110, 112 ... reference frame 114, 116 ... reference line 120 ... setting screen 122 ... preview image 161-164 ... positioning mark 166, 168 ... marking position 170 ... axis 172 ... specific line Component 172b ... bleed line 172t ... Finish line 174, 176 (b, t) ... End point 180 ... Pair of line components

Claims (7)

An imposition device that sets a page box for specifying a page boundary for each page area,
A line component extraction unit that extracts a plurality of line components extending in a horizontal direction or a vertical direction of the page region as a specific line component from the page region ;
A straight line connecting the first end points or the second end points included in the positioning mark and constituting the two specific line components from among the specific line components extracted by the line component extraction unit. a line component pair determination unit angle between the horizontal direction is at least one pair determines the pair of positional relationship near Ru linear component of 45 degrees,
A marking position estimation unit that estimates a marking position of the positioning mark based on the shape of each pair of the line components determined by the line component pair determination unit;
An imposition apparatus comprising: a box position acquisition unit that acquires the labeling position estimated by the labeling position estimation unit as position information of the page box in association with the page region. The imposition apparatus according to claim 1 ,
The line component pair determining unit further determines the line component pair when the distance between the two first end points or the two second end points is less than a threshold value. apparatus. The imposition apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The imposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the line component pair determining unit determines the pair of line components in which the two specific line components are parallel to each other. The imposition apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The line component pair determining unit determines the pair of line components in which two specific line components are perpendicular to each other. In the imposition apparatus of any one of Claims 1-4 ,
The imposition apparatus, wherein the box position acquisition unit acquires the position information of the page box that specifies a bleed area and / or a finished area. An imposition method for setting a page box for specifying a page boundary for each page area,
An extraction step of extracting a plurality of line components extending along a horizontal direction or a vertical direction of the page region as specific line components from the page region ;
From between each of said particular line component extracted, contained in the positioning mark, and a straight line connecting the first end points or the second end points constituting the two said particular line component and the horizontal direction a determining step of the angle formed by at least one pair determine the 45 degree position relationship near Ru linear component of pairs of,
An estimation step of estimating a marking position of the positioning mark based on the determined shape of each pair of the line components;
An imposition method characterized by causing a computer to execute an acquisition step of acquiring the estimated position of the label as position information of the page box in association with the page area. An imposition program for setting a page box for specifying a page boundary for each page area,
An extraction step of extracting a plurality of line components extending along a horizontal direction or a vertical direction of the page region as specific line components from the page region ;
From among each of said particular line component extracted, contained in the positioning mark, and forms the first end points or linear and the horizontal direction connecting the second end points constituting the two said particular line component a determining step of corners at least one pair determine the 45 degree position relationship near Ru linear component of the pair,
An estimation step of estimating a marking position of the positioning mark based on the determined shape of each pair of the line components;
An imposition program that causes a computer to execute an acquisition step of acquiring the estimated position of the label as position information of the page box in association with the page area.

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